if your answer is: No, i do not know the difference between soft and hard martial arts, but you are interested, you might want to read on ;D

I'm doing some MA's myself, and I would like to tell you about them! pros and cons...

JiuJitsu (Grappling/Groundfighting MA) Jiu Jitsu, is a MA that focuses mainly on shootfighting/Groundfighting.

Many people have probably heard about Judo.Judo is a sport, made from Jiu Jitsu, in which they removed ALL the "weapon" attacks, and added many throws.You can say that Judo is the sport, while Jiu Jitsu is the self-defence art

Jiu Jitsu(Now JJ) focuses on One opponent at a time, and applies chokes, submissions and holds, to make your opponent subdue to you...

Most of the moves in JJ are executed in a way, in which IF you manage to complete the hold, you win, NO matter what...There is NO escape from a perfectly executed JJ-move

Cons: ONE PERSON AT A TIME....If you use JJ, and get someone to the ground, and they have a friend, you'll most likely get kicked...So JJ is GREAT one on one, but more than one person against you, and you will most likely not succeed

Aikido: This is what you can call a soft martial art In Aikido, you shall NEVER fight your opponent! :OFirst, an easy explanation of a concept in Aikido, called Ki

When someone punches you, they do not SUDDENLY do it, they have an intention to do it first...Picture this: Someone throws a punch at you...1st: They make up their mind, and decide to punch you(They ready their Ki)2nd: They "project" their Ki at you, which then decides where the punch hits.3rd: The Fist then "rides" on this wave of Ki, and transfer this energy into the opponents body, through the fist.4th: The fist returns, and the Ki comes back into the "centre" (It is believed that Ki is "stored" in a point straight under the bellybutton(If you do not have a displaced bellybutton)

The point of Aikido, is not to Grab hold of the opponents fist, and force him to the ground with a throw...It is to touch the hand of the opponent in mid-attack, to connect with their ki, then move this "intention" to (example) the ground, to make their fist follow this wave.

If this is done correctly, you will not have to be stronger than your opponent, because you do not FIGHT with the opponents strenght, you simply lead their Ki(intention) in mid-attack.

It is hard to explain, and even harder to prove, because you cannot see Ki, and to connect to someone elses Ki, can not be DONE, it must Happen...You cannot learn to do Aikido, you can learn to let it happen every single time...

Aikido comes naturally when it happens, you do not even need to think, because your body is fully connected to the opponents Ki, and... you kinda know what you must do

Of course you can train techniques, Ikkyo, Nikyo, Sankyo and Koto Gaeshi, Iriminage and so on...But Training really much on these moves, takes your mind of the meaning of aikido...

When doing aikido, you do not only protect yourself from harm, you protect your opponent too, you're not supposed to harm your opponent...Ofcourse things can happen, like if you're doing a KotoGaeshi (you grab your opponents wrist, lead their ki forward, then turn around and THROW them, only by turning their wrist) (kinda)and the opponent puts ALL his guts into resisting it, you will either let go, or his wrist will break...but this is not supposed to happen, you're supposed to lead your opponent, then disarm/pin him down..

Pros: When you fully master the Ki connection, you kinda MASTER the art of dodging...Because you will be able to (i've read this, i've got no proof) connect to the opponents Ki, before the attack comes, so you will know EXACTLY where he will attack, before he does it.

an example of this: A person training Tae Kwon Do, does a kick, where he spins around and kicks..A person who has trained aikido for YEARS will be able to PERFECTLY dodge the kick, because he knows when and where it comes, before the Tae Kwon Do trainee has shifted his hips!

Cons: To be able to use Aikido in actual combat, you must be a very seasoned student, you cannot dream of using actual aikido before training atleast a year...

I'm used to do karate myself. I have a green belt with a blue stripe. Wakatakaaaa. This was very informative, learning about some other types of martial arts.(-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Way too long though, didn't read it all ------------------------------------)Well done.

TRADITIONAL Japanese Karate is usually used to keep fit but it is also used as a form of self defence in dangerous sitiouations!

This combat style focus on everything! That would mean Offence, Defence, Countering, just being fit and healthy and Dealing with one or more opponents.

Something else that Karate focuses on is respect towards the sensei (instructor). So when the sensei says something you have to reply with "AI!". When you are ready to do something you stand in Heikō dachiwhich is the very first stance you learn. PS: If you don't respond some sensei will tell you to go in Shiko dachi (Sumo stance) which after a while it gets painful!!!

Lets move on...The basic punches and blocks always involve oone arm going back into chamber. The bunkai (application) of this is defending your back. If while you punch/block someone and another person comes behind you, you get them as well.

Another major part of karate is kata (karate dance) which is Punches, Blocks, Kicks, Stances and some other fancy stuff put together in a sequence! The first two katas have to be paced and snappy but from the 3rd kata and up, you go slow (a bit like Tai Chi) then fast (forgot what this is called). Each kata has a bunkai (method of application) which is a detailed explenation of what each move is for!

Sparring in 'Traditional' Krt is Non - Contact. But really the aim is to 'hit' your opponent real close but not close enough to hurt them. Just so they fell a breeze on their face. Kicks inside the dojo ALWAYS have to be above the belt!(PS NEVER SPAR WITH CHICKS!!! THEY GET NASTY SOMETIMES!!! ESPECIALLY TEENS!!!)

KIAIII!!!Hehe scared u didnt I? A kiai is known at the shout of spirit! It is used when 'executing'!So umm yeah... I might add to this later on!!!

Last edited by HolyCrapDudeXD on Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:31 pm; edited 1 time in total